A number of prior art systems and devices use a web camera or similar camera technology to track body position and motion of the user for purposes of interactive computer based fitness such as Action Stick from Electronic Zone, Body attached lighting devices tracked by video United States Patent Publication No. 2004/0063481A1, and Motion based command generation technology U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,836. A command system optically monitors the movement of a subject and provides command signals to a computer system to control a graphic of a graphical user interface displayed on a monitor such as an animated character in a video game. The command system has an optical detector unit, which continuously scans a subject frame in which the subject is positioned. The subject frame is divided into sub-regions around the subject in which movement of the subject is detected, for example, an arm moving.
Sony Computer Entertainment has recently introduced a workout video game program branded “Eye Toy: Kinetic™, the revolutionary new way to get a great workout . . . ”, that uses a camera attached to the PlayStation 2 to image the user's body position in front of an attached video display. The game tracks the user's motion while presenting targets for the user to virtually hit with their feet and hands, there by causing the user to exercise.
The above prior art examples provide no target resistance to actuation and are not typically configured for standard keyboard input. Another interactive fitness game system uses RF body sensors to track wrist and ankle movement of the user as input primarily for fighting games such as “Combat Zone”.
Floor based keyboards have been used as input devices primarily for electronic musical instruments and video games as taught in Canadian Patent No. 1,268,063 entitled “Dancing Musical Instrument”. Similar Dancing video game input devices use the weight or force of step or stomp of the user on the floor pad to generate input to the attached musical instrument or video game.
Impact and Force input are used as input to a system for evaluation of force is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,534,557 “Reaction Time and Applied Force Feedback”, which is used for feedback training system for sports, includes a least one sport training device, a stimulus indicator located near and associated with the sport training device. This prior art is used for measuring force and reaction time as opposed to providing user input means to a computer.